The National Visa Center (NVC) enters the immigrant visa process once the immigrant visa is approved by United States and Citizenship Immigration Service (USCIS). The USCIS will forward approved immigrant petitions to the NVC for an immigrant pre-processing. If immigrant petition was filed based on immediate relative categories, there is no yearly numerical limits. For family preference and employment immigrant categories there are numerical limits each year; and therefore, wait times should be expected and can be lengthy for visa processing to begin.

After the NVC receives the immigrant visa petition and if your priority date meets the most recent qualifying date the NVC will collect visa application fees, accept your visa application along with supporting documents and hold your visa petition until an interview can be scheduled with a consular office at US Embassy or US Consulate office.

If the NVC receives immigrant petition and the priority date does not meet the most qualify date, you will be notified by the NVC and your petition will be held until your priority date meets the most recent qualifying date. Qualifying dates are updated on a monthly basis by the Department of State.

If your Priority Date is earlier than the Qualifying Date for your visa class and your foreign state chargeability, your Priority Date meets the most recent Qualifying Date and your petition is ready to begin processing at the NVC.

The USCIS typically assigns your immigrant visa petition a Priority Date when you filed it with USCIS. If you are unsure of your Priority Date, you should refer to the Approval Notice that you received from the USCIS.

National Visa Center Fees

Listed below is the National Visa Center Visa Fees. It is recommend to check with the NVC for updated Visa fee schedule.

Temporary Travel to the U.S. – Nonimmigrant visa application processing fees are tiered, based on the visa category you apply for. Nonimmigrant Visa application fees are nonrefundable.

Border Crossing Card Fees

Border crossing card – age 15 and over (Valid 10 years): $160.00

Border crossing card – under age 15; for Mexican citizens if parent or guardian has or is applying for a border crossing card (valid 10 years or until the applicant reaches age 15, whichever is sooner): $16.00

When the nonimmigrant visa application processing fee is not required:

Applicants for J visas participating in official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges: No Fee (See Exchange Visitor Visas for further detailed fee information)

Replacing machine-readable visa when the original visa was not properly attached or needs to be reissued through no fault of the visa applicant: No Fee

Applicants exempted by international agreement as determined by Visa Services, including members and staff of an observer mission to United Nations Headquarters recognized by the UN General Assembly, and their immediate families: No Fee

Applicants travelling to provide charitable services as determined by

Visa Services: No Fee

U.S. Government employees travelling on official business: No Fee

A parent, sibling, spouse or child of a U.S. Government employee killed in the line of duty who is traveling to attend the employee’s funeral and/or burial; or a parent, sibling, spouse, son or daughter of a U.S. Government employee critically injured in the line of duty for visitation during emergency treatment and convalescence: No Fee

Nonimmigrant visa issuance fee, including border-crossing cards.

See the Visa Reciprocity Tables to find out the visa issuance fee amount, if applicable Varies (Reciprocal)

When the nonimmigrant visa issuance fee is not required:

For an official representative who is part of a foreign government or an international or regional organization of which the U.S. is a member; members and staff of an observer mission to United Nations Headquarters recognized by the UN General Assembly; and applicants for diplomatic visas as defined under item 22(a); and their immediate families: No Fee

An applicant transiting to and from the United Nations Headquarters: No Fee

An applicant participating in a U.S. Government sponsored program which may include applicant’s dependent spouse and children: No Fee

An applicant travelling to provide charitable services as determined by Visa Services: No Fee

Other- When a Visa is Not Required – Visa Waiver Program

Citizens of Visa Waiver Program participating countries, and meeting requirements pay a small fee.

Coming to the U.S. Permanently – Immigrant Services

Immigrant visa application processing fees are tiered, as shown below, based on the visa category you applied for.

Notice: Every visa applicant must pay the visa application processing fee for the visa category being applied for.

Filing an Immigrant Visa Petition (When collected by U.S. Embassies and Consulates for USCIS. Fees subject to change.)

Other Fees

Affidavit of Support Review (only when reviewed domestically): $120.00

Note: Forms and fee amounts are listed for immigration petitions which are submitted to Department of State, either accepted at an Embassy or Consulate abroad, or within the U.S. to the National Visa Center or Kentucky Consular Center. All other immigration related forms can only be approved by the Department of Homeland Security’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Please check the USCIS website for other form fee schedules.

Note: The above fee charts are provided as reference and source of information was collected from the National Visa Center. For updated visa fee schedule, please check the NVC website.